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My guest for Episode #298 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Andy Paige. She's a soap opera actress, podcast host, QVC guest host, and national beauty/image/lifestyle expert. As Pearl on ABC's General Hospital, she brings real-life QVC flair to captivating audiences with innovative advertising.
She hosts “The Dating Lab with the Hillbilly Yenta,” where she explores modern dating challenges with humor and diverse guests. Her international bestseller, Style on a Shoestring, earned her the title “Budget Bombshell” and inspired frugal style makeovers on TV worldwide.
With standout appearances on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice, Starting Over, and TLC’s Ten Years Younger, Andy is the go-to expert for red-carpet style and practical image advice. She also delights radio audiences nationwide with playful style tips and has launched successful product lines including her patented GirlyGoGarter® and related accessories.
In this episode, Andy shares the dramatic story of how a miscalculated cliff jump not only resulted in a severe injury but also sparked a journey of innovation that led her to create the revolutionary Girly Go Garter. She reflects on the lessons learned from this life-altering mistake and discusses how it transformed her approach to both her career and personal growth.
She offers insights into the creative process behind her products, the challenges and triumphs of working in fast-paced television environments, and how embracing mistakes can lead to unexpected opportunities. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on resilience, reinvention, and the art of turning errors into stepping stones for success.
Questions and Topics:
- What’s your favorite mistake?
- Did you hit the edge of the rock when you jumped?
- Was your foot catastrophically injured during the fall?
- Did you expect a long rehab period and time away from the camera?
- How many design iterations did the Girly Go Garter require—and is it still evolving based on feedback?
- Did you try pitching your product on Shark Tank?
- Did the Girly Go Garter play a role in landing your QVC gigs?
- Is QVC always broadcast live?
- How far in advance are soap opera episodes completed?
- How did your role on General Hospital come about?
- As a mother, how do you help your kids learn from mistakes?
- Do you allow your natural accent to shine through on set?
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Automated Transcript (May Contain Mistakes)
Mark Graban:
Hi, welcome to My Favorite Mistake. I'm your host, Mark Graban. Our guest today is Andy Paige. She is an actress currently playing Pearl on ABC's General Hospital. She's a QVC guest host and a nationally recognized beauty, image, and lifestyle expert.
Mark Graban:
Andy’s known for her bestselling book, Style on a Shoestring, and what she calls her “fabulously frugal” transformations on shows like NBC's Emmy Award–winning Starting Over, TLC's 10 Years Younger, and the Style Network's How Do I Look? Andy also hosts a podcast called The Dating Lab with the Hillbilly Yenta, which explores modern dating with humor and insight. Beyond TV and radio, she’s the creator of innovative products—including the Girly Go Garter, which is sold in thousands of stores worldwide, including CVS.
So, Andy, thank you so much for being here on the podcast. How are you?
Andy Paige:
I am so happy to be with you. I know that we've had a few hiccups in getting together, but I've really been looking forward to it. Thank you for the beautiful introduction and your time.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, well, thank you for being here. And you have a very busy professional schedule, so I appreciate you being able to make some time to talk with us today. There's a lot I want to explore—the different aspects of your career and the various turns you've taken. But first things first—the key question here, Andy: what's your favorite mistake?
Andy Paige:
Well, you know, my favorite mistake is a little alarming because what I'm about to say usually doesn't come out of very many people's mouths. About 15 years ago—yeah, it'll be 15 years this July—I cut off my right foot.
Mark Graban:
Wow.
Andy Paige:
And I cut off my right foot being an adventure girl, which I always have been. I was with my then-boyfriend at an ocean club where everyone climbed up on this huge cliff and jumped off. And I was like, I want to go do that. My then-boyfriend was like, That's insane. That's very dangerous. I don't think it's a good idea.
And I basically looked at him, called him a few wimpy names, and said, That's not how I live my life. I am not going to sit on the sidelines and watch everybody else have fun. I'm going to go do that.
But I did it wrong. I stood in line and asked everybody, How far? What do I need to do? And I just—did it wrong. Within a matter of not even three seconds—within a matter of milliseconds—my life changed dramatically.
I was five days away from going to film the next season of my show. This happened on July 4th, and I was supposed to leave on the 10th. I had a very big life. I was on TV. I was a personality. I had just launched a book. So many amazing things were happening in my life—and then it all just stopped abruptly in a matter of seconds.
The first thing that happened was that I got very mad at God—because I'm a big God girl. I have lived a very clean life, if you will. I got very mad at God. And while I was in the hospital, under morphine, before they had even put my foot back on, I was hallucinating and just having it out with God. I mean, I was screaming. I screamed and hollered so much that I actually called the police, and a police officer had to come to my room.
But then I got very quiet and listened to God in my hallucination. And I got a very clear message—I needed to make some changes. I needed to pick up the mantle of the Girly Go Garter, which was a product I had invented within my television show.
So the Girly Go Garter is a hands-free purse that you wear on your leg. I know you mentioned it, but I originally invented it as a mic pack holder for my leg on set. In that moment, I received a very clear message that this was what I was supposed to do next.
It wasn’t something I had thought I was supposed to do. I had kind of ignored it—I had made one for myself and that was good enough. But that moment changed everything. Now, the Girly Go Garter has become the number one insulin carriage device. It’s used for people who are insulin-dependent and for various medical devices. We do a huge business with television and film, security, and even for undercover police officers.
So, yeah, jumping off Elephant Rock was a huge mistake. But it forced me to make a lot of changes in my life. Now I'm happily married. I have three bonus children that I cherish and have learned so much from. I'm back on television—something I never thought I would be—and I brought this product to life. I'm really proud of how much more empathetic and understanding I am now of so many challenges and disabilities.
It made me a better person.
Mark Graban:
Wow. Wow. Thank you for sharing that story. It’s a jolt to hear a mistake with that kind of outcome—not just the physical outcome, but the emotional impact. And I don’t mean to pry or get too medical, but did you hit the edge of the rock coming down? Was it just a bad landing?
Andy Paige:
Yes. So, very interestingly enough—I jumped off this rock, and when I was growing up, my grandparents raised me. My grandfather restored old cars and was part of a local antique car association. There was a member of that association named Chibi Smith.
Chibi, as a teenager, had jumped off the Chickasaw Bridge headfirst, suffered a spinal injury, and was paralyzed from the neck down. He loved my grandfather and loved old cars. About twice a year, his handlers would bring him in a van to sit in our backyard and talk to my grandfather about cars.
And I was always taught, you don’t jump off a bridge headfirst—Chibi Smith is an example of what not to do.
So when I jumped, I hadn’t thought of Chibi Smith in 30, maybe 40 years. But the moment I was in the air, I thought of him immediately.
I saw very clearly that I was going to miss the water and hit something. So I reversed myself mid-air, landing in a way that pushed off the part I was going to hit. I was trying to avoid hitting my head or my tailbone. But my right foot took the entire impact.
The rock was jagged, so my right foot bore the brunt. The impact broke my leg in over 300 places, and it essentially just popped my foot off. I know that sounds crazy, but that’s what happened.
I made it into the water, and at first, I thought I was fine. Then I tried to kick to come back up and felt a drag. I reached down and realized I was holding my own foot in my hand—and I caught it. And, you know, it's 15 years later. I've had over a dozen surgeries, with all kinds of replacement parts in my leg and foot, but I still have my foot, and I walk really, really effectively without a lot of pain—all thanks to miraculous medical inventions and ingenuity. I caught my foot, got it back on, and it changed my life in many ways.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, yeah. You mentioned that the experience redirected your purpose—specifically with the Girly Go Garter. As you were going through those initial days of recovery, did you figure at least that you’d have a lot of time in rehab and be away from the camera?
Andy Paige:
I didn't think I would be able to walk again. I was basically told, “It's going to be a struggle to get your foot to take.” I mean, think about it—reattaching your foot. There’s a lot to that. They were not mincing words with me. They didn't know if I was going to be able to walk on it. I was probably going to have to have a prosthetic. They didn't know how long it would take. So I refocused immediately on the Girly Go Garter.
And I'm so grateful that, you know, God gave me the idea and that I was able to figure out immediately, “Okay, if this is my lot in life and this is what has happened to me, then my next goal is to not be a failure—to not let this beat me. I have got to invent this product and bring it to market.” So within 10 days, I stopped taking all my pain medicine because it made me so loopy. I slept all the time, but in my mind I was like, “I've got things to accomplish. I've got things to do.” I was in the hospital for almost a month, and within—like I said—10 days, I was researching, figuring out how to write a business plan, and filing for a provisional patent—all from my hospital bed in the first three weeks. So I'm very grateful to have had a new, strong, clear purpose that allowed me to focus on something other than wallowing in this massive mistake.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. So part of the need for the Girly Go Garter—and I encourage people to look it up online—is that, Andy, I know you can describe it for those listening, or maybe even hold it up on YouTube. I've watched enough—whether it's local news, SportsCenter, or the Weather Channel—and I keep noticing what looks like a microphone pack around a woman's calf. It might be just some sort of functional black strap, but it seems like when women have to clip or tuck away a mic pack (unlike us guys), it's a challenge. Is that right?
Andy Paige:
No, you're right. That's ultimately why I invented it. Coming from a reality television background—where there weren’t many union rules (they weren't unionized until about a decade ago)—there were 16 to 18 hours a day that I'd be wearing a mic pack. Inevitably, they'd hold it on my bra strap because it was the easiest place (for changing the battery, since my dress would come up over my head). And so I started to get water blisters on my back because the device, which is a transmitter, gets hot. Everything I needed for my leg would fall down as soon as I got hot and sweaty. So I made my first one out of a workout shirt, a hot glue gun, and a cut-up bra—using eyes and hooks. And the audio people were like, “Oh, that's terrific. If you can get that to work, you've got something.”
I kind of laughed it off because I was so busy. But now I have a whole new focus. My goal in inventing and creating it was to have it carry at least three pounds, which it does. That means it can hold at least two transmitters—usually a microphone transmitter and an IFB (where you can listen to your producers). Both of those transmitters are heavy. I wanted it to carry at least three pounds, have a pocket, a secure flap, be pretty, and most importantly, work when you get hot and sweaty. We now hold 19 patents on it. The hotter you are, the better it works. And we work with women's sizes—from zero all the way up to size 28. There are three line extensions: the Girly Girl Garter, the Glitzy Go Garter, and Under Wraps, which is our self-competing line available in drugstores. So, it was time well spent.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, I'm just curious—I'm fascinated from a product design and development standpoint—how many iterations did the Girly Go Garter require to perfect the design? Or is it still an ongoing series of improvements based on feedback as you use it every day?
Andy Paige:
For me, it took a long time. I actually went to China on crutches. I followed a lot of leads and tried very hard to manufacture the product here, but the gripper element—which is patented—was impossible to produce domestically. So some elements I have to produce in China, then it’s brought here for finishing work, packaging, and some labor. It took a long time—from the moment I started focusing on it until our launch and receiving my first patent—about two years. It was no small thing. It took two years to raise the necessary money. I mean, I only raised around $300,000, which sounds like a lot until you’re a small business person trying to launch a product at this level. Everyone said, “Do not launch this product without at least a million dollars,” and they were right. It made it extremely hard.
But I launched with what I had, and the iterations and all of that took a very, very long time.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, well. And you know, the more money you raise, the more control you give up—both of the business and the financial stake. I'm curious—given your background in reality TV and to honor my guest from one of the very first episodes of this podcast, Kevin Harrington (one of the Sharks on season one of Shark Tank)—did you try to go on Shark Tank with this product?
Andy Paige:
Oh, I have. Yes, absolutely. Oh, definitely.
Mark Graban:
Okay, you have tried. I'm sorry, go ahead.
Andy Paige:
No, I have tried. There have been other products similar to mine that never really went anywhere, but because there have been similar products, I've never made it. And the other problem is my television background. The process of being on Shark Tank requires the Sharks to have zero knowledge or awareness of you or your product. Almost all of the Sharks, because of my television background, already have some awareness of me.
So they've all been like, “No, we know Andy,” or “No, we've seen her on QVC.” That's been the problem.
Mark Graban:
You have an unfair advantage being on camera and presenting.
Andy Paige:
That deterred things.
Mark Graban:
Okay. Did you end up on QVC first off because the Girly Go Garter was there to help sell or pitch it?
Andy Paige:
No, I wish. I can't get them to sell it. I'm actually a pitch person for other people, so I'm considered a guest host—a brand ambassador. So if you've got an amazing product and you feel like you need someone to represent your company because you're not comfortable or think someone else could do it better, I'm in a stable of qualified and certified QVC guest hosts who can come on and act as an expert for your product. I've done 20 shows in the past two weeks, helping other startups like mine find an audience. But, yeah, QVC has never given me a break.
And it's funny because everyone uses my product there. I leave the Girly Go Garter behind; I bring them, the staff uses them, the hosts use them. But no, I have never been able to get my product on QVC. Maybe one day, though.
Andy Paige:
I'm not giving up, Mark.
Mark Graban:
No, you seem like the type to not give up.
Andy Paige:
No, no. I hate the word “no.” Oh my gosh, it's the worst word in the world. I hate “no.” So I'm a pretty determined person—I haven't given up.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. So you're on QVC. That's always live, is that right?
Andy Paige:
It is always live. It is live television. It's a very interesting experience, really—I relish it.
Andy Paige:
I love it. And in a very small way, I really, really appreciate the opportunity to support all these people with great ideas just like me—people who might not have the television experience or the comfort of being in front of a camera. Being able to breathe life into their product and act as an expert and ambassador on their behalf is a real honor.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. So what are your thoughts? I mean, being on live TV, we all make mistakes. Is there anything on air that you thought was an unfortunate mistake, or do you try not to worry about the possibility of making mistakes live on air?
Andy Paige:
You know, I don't. And I'll tell you why I don't. Because I studied to be a sportscaster, so I came up as a journalist. In journalism, I was taught that I needed to have no accent whatsoever—I needed to be as middle-of-the-road as possible so that I could appeal to the largest audience.
But what I've learned in reality television is that that isn’t the case at all. The more you are entrenched in your own personality—being yourself rather than trying to be vanilla—the more people will respond to you. I've made lots of mistakes on TV, and they've turned into wonderful moments for people to relate to me; it's endearing to know that it happens to everybody. I've been given so much grace, so I don't think mistakes are a bad thing at all.
Andy Paige:
I think, in many ways, they are a blessing, and live TV certainly reinforces that.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, yeah. And I mean, sometimes a viral blooper can be good for your name, exposure, or even for QVC.
Andy Paige:
Yeah. So, mistakes don't bother me in that way—at all.
Mark Graban:
It seems like you're able to show yourself grace first and foremost over mistakes, right?
Andy Paige:
Yeah. I mean, sometimes it's hard—it can be a real butt clench. But for the most part, I'm just like, “Yeah, I gotta roll with it.” I used to hate mistakes, but I've come to appreciate them—which is why I love your podcast. I think your theme is just so fantastic.
Mark Graban:
Well, thanks. And you grew up in Alabama.
Andy Paige:
Yeah. Talk about mistakes—I said, talk about mistakes only through the lens of football. We've had a very hard University of Alabama football season.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. Oh, I wasn’t trying to bring that up. I mean, my school's not in the playoff either. But I hear a bit of a Southern twang in your voice. Do you let that loose a little more when you're not trying to sound like you're from Nebraska, like traditional broadcasters are taught to?
Andy Paige:
Yeah, it's very interesting. In reality television, I continue to work on keeping my accent very nondescript, if you will. The first time I got very upset or excited on set, I let my Alabama show. The producers came over and said, “Excuse me, we need more of that.” And I was like, “You do?” And they said, “Yeah, give us more of that.”
And I was like, “Okay.” So it was a hard lesson, but a great one—to be yourself. Because the truth is, a third of people are going to love you, a third are going to hate you, and a third don't give two poo-poos about you. If you spend all your time working on the two-thirds who either don't care or hate you, you're wasting your time.
Just focus on that one-third—because a third of the United States is over a hundred million people. If you can get 100 million people to love you, then you're winning.
Andy Paige:
You just can’t focus on all the ones who are like, “You know, whatever.” Which is the other reason why in my podcast, The Dating Lab with the Hillbilly Yenta, people ask, “Why do you want to call yourself a hillbilly?” And I'm like, “I own that title—I'm a hillbilly too.”
Mark Graban:
You got it.
Mark Graban:
But yeah, that's a good reminder. I mean, I’m barely somewhat of a public figure—having done podcasting for a long time—and with anything you produce, people review it. Books— not everyone thinks a book is a five-star production. I've tried to come to terms with that.
And I don't know if you're familiar with the song by Kacey Musgraves—I think there was a day when I was feeling a little bad about someone not liking something I produced, and it happens—and then the song came on the radio. Cup of Tea by Kacey Musgraves. Do you know the song?
Andy Paige:
I do know the song. What a beautiful song. Gosh, she's such a beautiful…
Mark Graban:
She basically sings, “You can't be everybody's cup of tea.” I needed to hear that that day—and sometimes on other days. You gotta be yourself. And that's the way to live, right?
Andy Paige:
Yeah. And if everything was good, then you'd have no perspective at all. I think that feedback—sometimes I laugh so hard at feedback. I mean, I'm in a position where I'm reviewed. I do read the reviews, and sometimes I'm just like, “I'm sorry, for the Girly Go Garter, you'll get a review where someone gives you one star because the packaging was damaged.”
Mark Graban:
It's like, that's not your fault.
Andy Paige:
Zero to do with that—zero. Reviews are, I suppose, good. The truth is, QVC was the ultimate opportunity to get reviews. It was the first chance for someone to explain why they loved it. So I'm in the business of reviews in many ways. I respect them, but you have to take them with a grain of salt. Many reviews are written on days when people aren’t at their best. That often happens.
It's just an outlet to vent some of their frustrations.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, yeah. And on behalf of other authors, I'll say: please, please—if Amazon was a day late delivering your book, please do not turn that into a one-star review of the author. Please, please, please.
Andy Paige:
I have seen that a lot. It's so frustrating. But anyway, yes, you're right—that's a great message.
Mark Graban:
But I think, then again, reviews like that—if someone's like, “Huh, there's a one-star review, what's that about?”—it's probably about the shipping, which probably doesn't really hurt anything. So I want to ask you about General Hospital. How did that come about?
Mark Graban:
There's a lot to talk about here.
Andy Paige:
There is. This really has to do with my life in many ways. I was raised by my grandparents in a small town in Alabama. I was a big God girl—I had a lot of church growing up—and I've always walked in faith, believing that God had my back. I knew right from wrong, and if I showed up every day as my best self and tried to make things better—not worse—and did whatever was asked of me (even sweeping the floor or picking out all the green M&Ms), that had value and would eventually pay off.
Being the latest cast member on this legacy show is a perfect example. Twenty years ago, when I was on the amazing show Starting Over on NBC—we won Emmys, it was wonderful—I was the beauty and style expert on a daily reality show that had 35 producers. All those producers went on to do amazing things. I was fortunate that many of them knew I was someone who would show up and do my best, and they could depend on me.
So 20 years later, when the role of a guest host on a fictitious home shopping network became available, one of those producers—two of them, actually—who knew through LinkedIn that I was now a guest host on QVC reached out on a Thursday and said, “We've got this crazy role. It's a little interesting. There's this innovative experiment in television and advertising happening, and we need a home shopping host. Would you be interested?”
And I was like, “Of course.” So within three days, I was cast. It was all about relationships and the trust that I would do my best and try my hardest.
Mark Graban:
Had you done any acting growing up, let alone on TV?
Andy Paige:
No. I mean, I took an acting class in college, but no—I never really did acting. And, of course, I have broadcast experience. But saying words that other people have written for you is very different from being yourself on TV, I can assure you.
So it was an arena—the Home Shopping Network arena—that I was very comfortable with. There were very few words they could put together that I hadn't already formulated myself. I felt comfortable with that. But you know, I do play this role next to Morgan Fairchild, Mark. I watched her as a kid on Falcon Crest. She was just that Southern beauty—and then she was Chandler's mom on Friends with all those iconic roles. I'm thrilled to be a part of the show and to have her as a guest host. Really, these experimental experiences I'm engaged in are fascinating because we're all watching television in a new way. Many people are trying to avoid ads by streaming, and that's great—but ads pay for television.
Mark Graban:
Right.
Andy Paige:
So General Hospital and ABC had the idea of turning one of their storylines into a real-life experiment—a consumable experience for their fans. Deception Beauty has been part of General Hospital for decades—a cosmetic company where fans have watched many cosmetic products, tools, and technologies come to life within the storyline. They decided to make Deception Beauty real. The way they're bringing it to fans is: once a product is licensed in real life, they bring it to Home and Heart (or Shop Home and Heart), and Morgan and I pitch it within the show. Then you can go to shophomeandheart.com to buy those products.
So it's an experiment that I believe will change the way we watch television in many ways.
Mark Graban:
Wow. That sounds like a deeply integrated product placement.
Andy Paige:
Deeply, yeah. And I had already named two shows starting next year that are set up completely with it. When you watch these new shows, every single item on the set—from the sheets where your favorite characters are getting their “skrunky” on (spelled S-K-R-U-N-K-Y) to the clocks, the hair products, even the handbags your favorite character uses—is linked with a website, making the show 100% consumable.
Mark Graban:
Interesting. And for the sake of the transcription, how do you spell “skrunky”?
Andy Paige:
S, K, R, U, N, K, Y. Okay.
Mark Graban:
I think the AI translation will come up with something. And now that you've spelled it, hopefully.
Andy Paige:
I don't know why I feel like it should be a K and not a C, but I'm thinking it's a K. Yeah.
Mark Graban:
That sounds right. Not a mistake. I mean, that's really coming full circle. The soap in soap opera was the sponsor pitch at the beginning of soap operas—even on radio, I believe.
Andy Paige:
Yeah, exactly. And so now people don't want to watch a dozen ads during a show, which is why they stream. And you know, General Hospital has been on air for 61 years—the longest-running show in television history. But the majority of people—three million a day—are streaming it now; they're not watching it on network, so they're paying to avoid the ads. For the show to continue, you have to know that there are hundreds of people behind the scenes creating 250 hours of scripted television a year. This is just one more level of support for the show and another way for fans to engage with it in a new and different way.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. Now, I don't know much about General Hospital, but as a child of the '80s, Luke and Laura was the biggest cultural phenomenon—outside of, say, who shot J.R. or Junior—right?
Andy Paige:
Most definitely. To this day, I attend General Hospital fan events. It's still something that everyone can relate to. People even scheduled their college classes around the VCR era. Luke and Laura drove the purchase of millions of VCRs. It was a cultural phenomenon. Even now, people still talk about it and remember it. I even based my prom dress on her wedding dress—it had huge-reaching effects.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, yeah. And just the other day I was listening to Rick Springfield on the Sirius XM '80s channel. He was on General Hospital during his heartthrob days, right?
Andy Paige:
Yeah, and so was Liz Taylor. You know, there are so many people who have come out of that show—it’s unbelievable. Rick Springfield was one of them. Many people went on to launch incredible careers.
Mark Graban:
Yeah, that's quite a legacy. And you're part of that legacy. Now, one other thing I wanted to ask—as our guest, Andy Paige—while soap operas aren’t live, my understanding is that there’s a lot of time pressure. You have to get that episode out quickly. Is it fair to say there's not a lot of time for retakes? You pretty much have to get it right the first time or go with what you have.
Andy Paige:
Mark, it's unbelievable. I mentioned they film 250 hours of television a year. On my very first day, I was in scenes 47 and 49 out of 56 for that day. Just for perspective: if a movie can do five scenes in a day, they're thrilled to complete five. They’re doing ten times that in a day.
They film in two blocks—from 5 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.—every day. There are dozens of people in wardrobe, hair and makeup, dozens of writers, and the amount of dialogue they get through is unbelievable. The time pressure is so intense that you’re given one recorded practice and one recorded take. They really want you to know what you're doing and move through it swiftly. I recently had to do the dreaded third take, and I'm very grateful that Ms. Morgan Fairchild came to my defense, saying she wouldn't mind doing that again herself. I was like, “Oh, thank you, Jesus.” Very sweet of her. But yes, the time pressure is amazing.
It's actually a wonderful environment to learn from—like the old adage: if you can do it here, you can do it anywhere. And that's pretty true.
Mark Graban:
And I bet with your background in live TV, I imagine there are certain actors whose abilities just fit better with that format—if they've been on stage, for instance, they might not be used to as many takes as in film.
Andy Paige:
Yeah, well, I appreciate you saying that. Being live, I don’t mind the pressure because it means you have to be 1000% prepared—and I naturally am. I overpack, I overthink, because being unprepared is so frightening to me. I tend to be over-prepared so that even if I mess up, it doesn’t look as bad. It just means I didn’t get it as perfect as I wanted it to be.
But yes, there are certain personalities that lend themselves to this environment. Let me tell you: you wouldn’t be hired unless you could do it, because there’s no room for error. A few extra takes here or there means you might not leave until 9 or 10 o’clock at night instead of 8.
Mark Graban:
Does that show? I mean, how far in advance are the episodes completed? I imagine they're not shot on the day they air—they have a bit of lead time.
Andy Paige:
Yeah, they run about three weeks ahead. I just had an episode air on December 6th, which means I filmed that in October. So there's a bit of a lag.
Mark Graban:
Okay, well, Andy, maybe one last question for you—because I know you have some thoughts to share. As a mother, what are your thoughts about helping your kids learn from mistakes?
Andy Paige:
I don't want them to be afraid to make mistakes, and I don't want them to be afraid to figure things out for themselves. Mistakes are the best way to learn anything. You can have someone tell you a million times—my husband told me not to jump off that rock and I laughed in his face—but until you experience it for yourself and learn from it, you truly haven’t learned the lesson.
I encourage my kids to be courageous, to take risks, to be curious, and to be open—not to be wall-sitters. You want to be involved in life, and if you make a mistake, it's totally fine—it will be okay. And for every mistake I've made in business—I’ve made ten-thousand–dollar mistakes—I look at the universe and say, “I'm so glad that was a $10,000 mistake and not a $100,000 one.” So you just have to be grateful for your mistakes, not afraid to take chances.
Mark Graban:
Yeah. Well, Andy, thank you so much for sharing. I mean, first off, a very personal story about the cliff and your foot—and thank you for sharing so much. We could have spent another 40 minutes talking about the evolution of the Girly Go Garter, but thank you for sharing so many perspectives and themes from so many aspects of your work and life. It’s really interesting, really inspiring. So thank you again for being here.
Andy Paige:
Thank you for having this incredible podcast and for doing this deep dive in such an amazing way. I mean, I listen to your podcast—what you do is incredible. There’s nothing really I said that hasn’t been said on your show. There's nothing that I’m saying that you haven’t written about or thought of before—but it's wonderful that you take the time to make sure people hear it in new ways, so that someone new who needs to hear it actually does.
I applaud you as well.
Mark Graban:
Well, thank you. I really appreciate that, Andy. So again, Andy Paige—there’ll be links in the show notes where you can learn more about her and her products. And if you haven’t already seen her on TV, fire up the DVR or YouTube TV instead of the VCR. You can watch everything that Andy continues to do. This has been great. Thank you again for being a guest.
Andy Paige:
It's my pleasure.
Actionable Takeaways for Listeners
- Embrace Mistakes as Learning Opportunities
Andy’s story about jumping off a rock and suffering a severe injury demonstrates how mistakes, even significant ones, can lead to positive life changes and new directions. She learned a valuable lesson about risk and was motivated to develop her product, the Girly Go Garter. Listeners can apply this by viewing their own mistakes as opportunities for growth and innovation. - Pursue Your Ideas Relentlessly
Despite initial setbacks, such as struggling to raise money and the challenges of product development, Andy persisted with bringing her Girly Go Garter to market. Her determination exemplifies how perseverance is crucial in turning ideas into reality. Listeners are encouraged to not give up on their projects, even when faced with obstacles, by continually seeking ways to achieve their goals. - Be Authentic and True to Yourself
Andy spoke about embracing her Southern accent after initial efforts to minimize it and how being authentic resonated more with audiences. She highlights that being oneself can be a strength rather than a weakness. Listeners can take away the importance of authenticity, focusing on being genuine in their personal and professional lives to build meaningful connections and achieve greater impact.
These takeaways encourage personal development, continuous learning, and perseverance, showcasing how challenges can be turning points towards success.